Various types of flame simulating assemblies are known. Often, a flame simulating assembly is designed to be included in an electric fireplace, to simulate a fire in a real fireplace in which wood or coal is burned. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,965,707 (Butterfield) discloses a simulated flame system for an electric fireplace in which a light source is combined with billowing ribbons to simulate flames. The effect resulting generally resembles flames from a coal fuel source more than flames from a wood fuel source. The flames for burning wooden logs tend to be more active and extend higher above the fuel source.
On occasion, a two-sided flame simulating assembly is needed. The need typically arises where a two-sided flame simulating assembly is to be included in an interior wall, so that a flame simulating assembly can simultaneously be enjoyed by those in the rooms on both sides of the interior wall.
Typically, a two-sided flame simulating assembly is created by simply positioning two conventional flame simulating assemblies back-to-back, i.e., a back wall of a first conventional flame simulating assembly is positioned adjacent to a back wall of a second conventional flame simulating assembly. Alternatively, a two-sided flame simulating assembly is often created by attaching two conventional flame simulating assemblies together, back-to-back. Typical two-sided flame simulating assemblies, created by combining conventional flame simulating assemblies, have a number of disadvantages. First, combining two conventional flame simulating assemblies to form a two-sided flame simulating assembly is only feasible where the interior wall in which the conventional flame simulating assemblies are to be positioned is sufficiently thick to receive them. Second, using two conventional flame simulating assemblies back-to-back is relatively expensive, as all of the materials and controls for each of the conventional units are duplicated.
In addition, because two conventional units positioned back-to-back are relatively broad, an interior wall in which the two conventional back-to-back units are received often has barely enough thickness for the purpose. The result is that screens in the conventional back-to-back flame simulating assemblies through which simulated flames are viewable tend to be relatively closely positioned to an observer. This is undesirable because, in general, where there is more distance between the observer and the screen, the simulated flames tend to be perceived by the observer as being more realistic.
Also, where two conventional flame simulating assemblies are combined into a typical two-sided flame simulating assembly, the effects resulting are essentially the same simulated flames produced by each of the conventional flame simulating assemblies operating separately. Achieving any additional or somewhat improved effects is not feasible where two conventional flame simulating assemblies are combined.
There exists a need for a flame simulating assembly adapted to provide images of flames transmitted through two screens to overcome at least some of the deficiencies of the prior art.